Embassy Press Officer’s comment on anti-Russian statement by Minister of State Mark Field

Embassy Press Officer’s comment on anti-Russian statement by Minister of State Mark Field

We have taken note of the speech by Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Field in the Philippines during his tour of Southeast Asia. The Minister has irresponsibly stated, inter alia, that “in recent years many countries have fallen victim to Russian state aggression”.

These accusations are absolutely misleading. As we have emphasized over and over again at various levels, Russia does not threaten anyone. The UK, on the other hand, in recent years together with the US have initiated aggression in Iraq, destroyed Libya and committed an act of aggression against Syria this April by launching a massive missile attack on its territory. Moreover, London continues to increase dramatically its military expenditure in order to, as State Secretary for Defence Gavin Williamson has stated recently, “be ready to fight in Mainland Europe, in the Middle or in the Far East”. A striking example of the bellicosity of the current UK foreign policy is the deployment of the British military contingents in Eastern Europe, near Russian border.

State Minister Field has also speculated that there was “no plausible alternative explanation” to Salisbury incident other than the actions of the Russian state. We call on the UK government to refrain from allegations substituting the results of the continuing (for almost half a year) investigation. The UK should respect international law, conduct a transparent investigation and stop manipulating CWC rules and practices while blaming Russia without a shred of evidence.